Clock striking mechanism.



No. 806,336. PATENTBD DEC. 5, 1905 H. T. GAY

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM APPLICATION FILED AUG, 24, 1904.

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H. T. GAY. CLOCK STRIKING MEOHANISM APPLICATION FILED AUG 24, 1904.

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ATTORNEY6 WITNESSES No. 806.336. PATENTBD 13130.5, 1905.

H. T. GAY. CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG, 24, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEBT 3.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

HERMAN T. GAY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,OF, ONE-FOURTH TO JADWIGA l/VELZANT.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed August 24, 1904. Serial No. 221,940.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN T. GAY, of the city of Baltimore and State ofMaryland, have invented certain Improvements in Striking Mechanism forClocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in striking mechanism forclocks which is operated from the time-movement, as will hereinafterfully appear.

In the further description of the said invention which follows,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof,and in which Figure 1 is an exterior front View of certain parts of aclock mechanism embracing the present invention and illustrating therelative positions of the striking devices during the striking operationand near its close. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that thestriking devices are shown immediately before the striking operationbegins. Fig. 3 is a top View or plan of Fig. 2. Figs. 1, 5, and 6 areenlarged details of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 and 2 are respectively the front andthe rear plate of the clock-frame, connected, as is usual, by the bars3.

4c is the minute spindle or arbor, which is rotated once each hour, and5 the ordinary striking cam or snail, which rotates once in twelve hoursand to the hub of which the hour-hand 6 is attached.

7 is a gear-wheel forming a part of the clock-movement, which makesone-third of a full rotation each hour, and it is provided with threepins 9, which extend from its rear side and are at equal distancesapart. With this arrangement one of the said pins is brought to acertain point or position each hour, and is thus utilized to primarilyeffect the operation of the striking mechanism hereinafter described.

12 is a rotary shaft journaled in the frameplates 1 and 2, having at itsouter end a tight pinion 13 and near its rear end a loose disk 15,provided at its circumference with six pointed teeth 17 at a commondistance apart. To communicate rotation in one direction from the shaft12 to the toothed disk 15, the said shaft is furnished with a tightratchetwheel 19 (see particularly Figs. 5 and 6) and the disk with aspring-held pawl 20, which merely clicks should the shaft 12 be rotatedin the reverse direction.

21 is a shaft of the escapement-wheel 23, which wheel is part of theclock-movement, having four slots or depressions 25 therein, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6, into which as the said shaft rotates the teeth 17 of thedisks 15 will successively enter and admit of the rotation or partialrotation of the shaft 12 and its disk 15 in the operation of theapparatus, as hereinafter described.

27 is a gong or bell, and 29 the strikingarm, the hub of which isfastened to the rear end of a vibratory shaft 30, journaled in the frame1 and 2. The hammer at the end of the striking-arm is denoted by 31.

The innersurface of the disk 15 is provided with six pins 32, which inthe rotation of the disk in the direction indicated by the curved arrowsin Figs. 5 and 6 trip a linger 35, fastened to the shaft 30, and causethe striking of the gong, as is usual in clocks.

In order that the disk 15 when at rest may be maintained in suchposition that the tooth 17 immediately above the escapement-wheel shaft21 will not bear on or come in contact with a part of the said shaftbetween any two of the said slots until the time has arrived for theoperation of the striking mechanism and at the same time adapt it tofreely enter one of the said slots at the proper time, one of the saidpins is arranged to rest on the end of the said finger, as shown in Fig.5.

4:0 is an arm with its hub 41 loose on a stud 13, projecting from thefront plate 1 of the frame, and 44: a toothed segment at the free end ofthe said arm. The teeth of the segment 4A are in mesh with those of thepinion 13. Consequently in raising the arm 4.0 the shaft 12 would becontinuously rotated, provided the teeth 17 of the disk 15 did notengage with and strike the escapement-whecl shaft 21; but owing to theslots 25 in the said shaft, into which the points of the teeth 17 of thedisk enter as the shaft rotates, an intermittent rotation of the disk 15is effected, which continues until the said segment has reached itshighest point or position. The hook 45 by coming in contact with a pin17 serves as a stop to limit the upward motion of the toothed segment.

A9 is a finger fastened to the hub of the arm 40 with its end which isturned toward the rear, as shown at Fig. 3, arranged to bear on the edgeof the cam or snail 5, and the position of the snail with respect to thehour-hand is such that at twelve oclock the end ofthe finger 49 whenheld down by a spring, hereinafter described, will rest on the smallestpart of the snail and at one oclock on the largest or highest point ofthe same.

50 is a stud on the plate 1 of the frame which serves as a pivot for thehub 51, carrying the arms 53 and 55. Theend of the arm 53, which isturned downward, is connected by a coiled spring 57 to the upper end ofthe toothed segment 44:, and the end of the arm 55, which is turnedupward, is held by the said spring in the path of the pins 9, which, asbefore stated, project from the gear-wheel 7, so that in onethird of afull rotation of the said wheel the arm 55 is gradually moved outward toits extreme limit once in an hour.

Immediately before the expiration of each hour the active pin 9 passesfrom the face 52 at the end of the arm 55 and the arm flies back to itsoriginal position, (shown in Fig. L) where it is stopped by the hubcarrying the arm 40 and the finger 4L9.

It will be understood that the spring 57 has at all times a tendency tokeep the arm 55 in the position shown in Fig. 4 and that while the armis in the said position the end of the arm 53, to which the said springis attached, is above the dotted line :0 :12, extending from the centerof the stud 4:3 to the end of the toothed segment 44:, to which thespring is connected. Consequently the spring influences the toothedsegment to assume its highest position, or that illustrated in Fig. l;but in the outward movement of the arm 55 the said end of the arm 53moves downward and crosses the said line, and the spring 57 has then theeffect of drawing the toothed segment down and the end of the finger 19in contact with the edge of the snail, as shown in Fig. 2.

Supposing the time to be 7.55, or five minutes to eight, the variousparts of the clock will be in the position shown in Fig. 2that is tosay, the arm 55 will have nearly reached its extreme outward positionwith the pin 9 about to pass from the face 52 at the said end of thearm, and the arm 53 will be near its lowest position with its end belowthe dotted line a0 0, which, as before stated, extends from the centerof the stud L3 to the end of the toothed segment which causes the spring57 to retain the end of the arm 49 in contact with the portion of thesnail marked VIII and the toothed segment is stationary. At the com.-pletion of the hour the pin 9 will pass from the face 52 at the end ofthe arm 55, and that device will instantly assume the position shown inFig. 4:. At the same time the arm 53 will be elevated to the positionshown in Fig. 1, wherein its end will be above the dotted line a m andthe spring 57 will cause the toothed segment to ascend. In the ascent ofthe toothed segment the toothed disk 15 is set in motion, andintermittent partial rotations of the same take place as the teeth insuccession pass the shaft 21 of the escapementwheel, and as the finger49 at the beginning of this operation rested on the part of the snaildenoted by VIII the disk 15 will perform eight partial rotations, duringeach of which the gong will be struck by the hammer. Soon after theoperation just described another one of the pins 9 comes in contact withthe face 52 of the arm 55, and that device is again moved outward andfinally tripped at the expiration of the next hour, as above described.

In the foregoing description of my improved striking mechanism I havespecified certain wheels and shafts of the clock-movement as welladapted to produce the various operations set forth; but it is' evidentthat others could be used and the striking devices modified inconstruction to conform with the change without materially affecting theinvention as described.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a striking mechanism for a clock, a snailhaving rotation in common with the hou rhand of the clock-movement, awheel carrying a lifting-pin forming a part of the clock-movement, andan intermittingly-rotating shaft also forming a part of theclock-movement, the said shaft having diametrical depressions therein,combined with an arm having an attachment which is adapted to bear witha yielding pressure on the said snail, and which, in the rotation of thesaid wheel is lifted by its pin, a toothed segment forming a part of thesaid arm, a shaft provided with a pinion in mesh with the toothedsegment carrying a loose disk with ratchet mechanism which admits of therotation of the said disk in one direction only, the said disk havingteeth which engage with the shaft having diametrical depressions, andmeans actuated primarily from the said toothed disk to effect thestriking of a gong, substantially as specified.

2. In a striking mechanism for clocks, a snail having a rotary motion incommon with the hour hand, a shaft carrying a pinion which, when inrotation, effects the sounding of the gong or hell, combined with apivoted arm having a toothed segment at its end, the teeth of whichsegment are in mesh with those of the said pinion, a finger having amotion in common with the said arm adapted to rest on the edge of thesnail, a second pivoted arm, a spring to connect the end of the secondarm with the upper end of the toothed segment, and mechanism actuated bythe time-movement to carry the end of the second arm to a positionalternately above and below a line extending from the pivotal point offirst arm to the point of connection of the said spring with the end ofthe toothed segment, and so cause the finger to rise from, or bear uponIIO the said snail, and in the former motion to actuate the said pinionthrough the medium of the toothed segment and effect the sounding of thegong or hell, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.

3. In a striking mechanism for clocks, a snail having a rotary motion incommon with the hour-hand, a shaft carrying a tight pinion and a loosetooth-disk and a ratchet mechanism whereby the tooth-disk moves in onedirection only, pins projecting from the said disk, a gong-soundingappliance which is set in motion by the said pins in the rotation of thetooth-disk, a shaft constituting an element of the clock-movement havingdepressions therein into which the teeth of the disk enter and effectintermittent partial rotations of the said disk, combined with a pivotedarm having a toothed segment at its end, the teeth of which segment arein mesh with those of the said pinion, a finger having a motion incommon with the said arm adapted to rest on the edge of the snail, asecond pivoted arm, a spring to connect the end of the second arm withthe upper end of the toothed segment, a rotary wheel carrying projectingpins form ing a part of the time-movement adapted to bring the said pinssuccessively to a certain position at stated times, a third arm having amotion in common with the second arm, the end of which is in the path ofthe pins in the said rotary wheel and in the vibratory movement of thethird arm, to alternately carry the end of the second arm to a positionabove and below a line extending from the pivoted center of the firstarm to the upper end of the segment, and a spring to connect the upperend of'the said toothed segment with the end of the second arm,substantially as, and for the purpose specified.

HERMAN T. GAY. Witnesses:

OREGON MILTON DENNIS, WM. T. HOWARD.

